08:10Captain Todd Clever expressed extreme pride after the United States produced a sterling defensive by holding Ireland to a commendable 12-point winning margin in their opener on Sunday. The lowly ranked American side, who have only one two World Cup games out of 17, produced one of their better World Cup displays to lose 22-10. USA team guide

08:05"I'd like to think that we are not far behind the likes of Canada and USA," Russia team director Kingsley Jones said of his squad's mental state on Wednesday. "Hopefully we can catch up, starting tomorrow (Thursday) night of course." Russia team guide

08:00Russia will need to contain their nervous energy as they make their World Cup debut, the last team to appear at the tournament in New Zealand, when they face the United States in their Pool C clash in New Plymouth.